The Road Along the Way
by apnsb
Summary: A few one-shots following How to Live With a Ghost. Bridges the gap between HtLWaG and the sequel. Some relevance to plot for both original and sequel, for continuity's sake.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I felt bad today. So to cheer myself up, I wrote this and decided I might as well post it.**

* * *

 **Swing**

* * *

June (one month)

The heat was almost unbearable. Shady Shin wanted to go home, to his apartment, and crank the air conditioner to the coldest setting. Instead, he was sitting in an empty room on Air Temple Island, waiting on Korra.

His prosthetic leg was finished. That was why he was waiting. Korra had gone to pick it up, and was supposed to have been cleared by the hospital to assist him with it. That was fine. He just wished she'd picked somewhere cooler. Kya was in the South Pole and wouldn't be back for another two weeks, so he was stuck with Korra until then. _I might as well get used to it_.

He'd worn shorts, as she'd requested, and he looked at his watch with a sigh as sweat beaded on his forehead. _Where the fuck is she? She's late._

He closed his eyes and sighed again, leaning his head back against the wall before wiping the sweat off his face with the inside of his shirt. _Any day now, boss_.

Eventually, he heard her heartbeat in the distance, accompanied by her faint footsteps. _Finally_. She wasn't alone, and he exhaled slowly, lowering his head so that he could watch the door. She slid the door open within a few moments and Meelo came in excitedly, half carrying the prosthetic leg. Korra looked to be as hot as Shady Shin felt, even in her tank top and board shorts. She was barefoot, and she padded into the room with a smile, motioning at the prosthetic when Shady Shin looked at her.

"Here it is."

"Yeah, I got eyes," He grunted. He wasn't in a good mood. He blamed the heat. _The kid doesn't need to be here either._

Korra took a moment to look at him, one eyebrow raised, and he knew she understood. At least, he hoped she'd realize how irritated he was.

"Alright," Korra sighed, looking from Shady Shin to Meelo, "Meelo, why don't you go play fetch with Naga until lunch time?"

"But you said I could help you teach Shin to walk again." Meelo objected, pouting.

"Change of plans," Korra told him, "We're not going to be doing anything fun today. We just need to make sure it fits."

Meelo crossed his arms, looking from Korra to Shady Shin for several moments, but he eventually nodded. He saluted Korra once before leaving them alone in the room, and Korra was quick to slide the door shut behind him.

"It's hot." Shady Shin complained.

"You're telling me," Korra shook her head as she carried the prosthetic over to him, "I'm from the South Pole, remember? You ready?"

"Ready?" He arched one eyebrow, able to feel the sweat on the back of his neck, "Couldn't we have gone somewhere cooler?"

"Well, yeah," Korra shrugged, "But it was easier to just do it here, there's more room. I mean if you want to go back to my apartment-."

"Fine." He snapped, looking out the window, "Here's fine. Let's just get it over with."

She nodded, bringing the prosthetic over and raising her eyebrow.

"I'm going to help you put it on. At least this time. Ok?"

He shrugged, pulling the leg of his shorts up and exposing the stump.

"Go for it."

"Ok," She nodded again, motioning with one hand, "This is the socket, and it's supposed to fit snuggly on your thigh…"

She kept talking, but he was only half listening. He watched long enough to know how to do it, but anything she said to him after that was lost on deaf ears. _It's too hot for this shit_.

"Alright," Korra said a minute later, "How's it feel?"

"Feels fine."

"Not too tight or too loose?"

"No." He was a little snappy with the reply, but she didn't seem to notice. If she did, she didn't show it.

"Want to try and stand?"

He nodded, pushing her hands away when she went to help him up. _I don't need you to carry me_.

"Ok," was her only response, and she took a step back.

He managed to push himself up to his feet, though he straightened uneasily on the new leg. Korra was watching him attentively, no doubt ready to grab him if he started to fall. He wished she'd just back off.

Once he was steady, he took a moment to focus on how the prosthetic _felt._ It was odd, to say the least, but it didn't hurt. It was just something he wasn't used to. _I guess that's going to change_.

He stood there for a few minutes, alone with Korra in the silence as he focused on the new feeling of balance he was experiencing. He could hear her heartbeat thrumming in his ears, and he pushed it out of his mind. _She's fine. What do I care_?

"Alright," Korra repeated, sighing, "Want to try and take a few steps?"

He could feel his shirt sticking to his skin from the heat. Korra too, seemed to be sweating, and he wondered how she could be so calm. _It's too hot for calm_.

When he nodded in response to her question, she stepped closer to him. _Too close_. She had her arms stretched out, nearly touching his sides, no doubt to guide him or at least catch him if he fell. _I don't need this_.

He put his hands on her shoulders, pushing her back with a scowl.

"I can do it myself."

She raised her eyebrows, but she held her hands up in concession and took several steps back.

"Fine."

She crossed her arms, leaning against the wall, and she watched him. He stared at her for a few seconds before he set his jaw and tried to take the first step. He tried to move the prosthetic forward like he would his normal leg, and it shifted stiffly. But when he tried to take the second step the same way, the prosthetic bent down on itself, dragging Shady Shin to the floor.

He pushed himself up with his arms once he was able to, huffing when he heard Korra stepping closer.

"I'm fine," He growled, as a bead of sweat rolled off the tip of his nose, "Don't fucking touch me."

 _Lost the leg on my fucking own, I can take care of myself too._

Silence was the only response Korra gave him, and a few seconds later he heard her footsteps crossing the floor, a moment before the door slid open and she left him in there alone. _Great. You ran off the only help you had. This would be easier if ma was here._

He huffed and moved so that he could use his arms to drag himself back over to the chair. He managed to pull himself up and sit back down once he reached it, but he wasn't feeling brave enough to try and stand again. He was miserably hot, out of breath, and angry. This was his own fault.

He started to take the prosthetic off and leave it when the door reopened, and Korra came back inside with a pitcher in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

"Here."

He took the glass of water when she offered it and chugged it down, panting slightly when he handed the glass back. She filled it again a few seconds later, but instead of giving it to him to drink, she dumped it on his head. The cold felt nice, if only momentarily, and it soothed part of the anger away. It helped. Especially when she did it a second time.

"I don't need a bath, boss." He muttered, licking his lips as the water trickled over them.

"You needed something. Do you feel better?"

"No."

Korra sighed and put the pitcher and glass down next to the chair, squatting down in front of him so that he was looking down at her when she was finished.

"Look," She told him, "It's ok to be angry. It really is. And you—well you've had time to kind of absorb everything in these past few weeks, especially what happened to you. I don't really know what to say, actually…but do you blame yourself?"

"For the leg? Yeah." He grunted, "It was my fucking fault. I should be doing this alone."

"Well," Korra shrugged one shoulder, looking up at him, "The good thing about it is that you don't have to."

"I fell, Korra. I can't-."

"Did you listen to what I told you?" She asked, raising one eyebrow, "You have to move your thigh differently. It's going to change the way you walk, or the way you're _used_ to walking. You're going to have to swing out a little, with this leg."

"So I'm going to look like a dumbass."

"No. You're _going_ to be able to get around without crutches. That's what you're going to be able to do. Who gives a shit how it looks, so long as you do it? You got that?"

He sighed, looking down at the knee of the prosthetic.

"Shin."

"What, boss?"

"People fall down. All the time. For less reason than this. It's going to be ok. But you're going to have to listen to me. And there's no shame in asking for help."

"Fine. How in the hell are you so patient in this heat?"

"You want to be a good healer, you gotta learn to be patient," She shrugged, standing up, "You want to try again?"

"Yeah."

He pushed himself up to his feet once more, and when Korra held her arms out in case he fell again, he let her. _What'd she say I had to do? Swing._

He took the first step with his good leg, and when he went to move the prosthetic, he swung it out slightly to one side before rocking forward. Korra took a step backwards when he did, and he used the momentum it gave him to take another. He took four steps before he realized he was laughing.

"Boss, I'm walking."

"You're damn right you are," Korra was beaming as he took another step.

They continued until they reached the end of the room, and once they were there Korra turned around and started back the other way. He followed her, despite still feeling the heat, and the pair of them spent the next thirty minutes walking from one end of the room to the other.

Korra only had to grab him once, though she didn't help him up, instead letting him take the time to steady himself. 'You have to learn', is what she had told him. He agreed.

When they were finished, he lowered himself into the floor, out of breath as Korra sat next to him with the water she'd brought in earlier. She poured him another glass, handing this one to him to drink. He drank half of it in one gulp, and once he had he returned the glass to her. She drank the rest of it, and he found himself grinning at her.

"Boss…thanks."

"For?"

"This…helping me," He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "I just…I'm still not used to people giving a shit. So…thank you."

He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, smiling when she returned the embrace.

"Don't get sentimental on me, you smug son of a bitch," She chuckled, patting his back, "If you really want to thank me, you gotta make a deal."

"What, like get your father-in-law out of jail?"

"No," Korra shook her head when he leaned back to look at her, "You want to be a healer, yeah?"

He nodded, and she continued.

"Then I want you to be the best goddamn healer in this city. You got that?"

"That sounds good to me. I won't let you down, boss."

"I know you won't. Because you won't let yourself down either."

They sat together for a few minutes, and Shady Shin let himself look over the prosthetic stretched out in front of him.

"I got a new leg," He muttered, more to himself than to Korra. He remembered how shocked, how _angry_ he had been when he found out he'd lost his leg. He'd thought he'd never be worth anything again. _Worthless. That's what I was. No one here thinks that, though. Not even Korra._

He heard Korra shuffle around, and his attention was drawn by seeing her pull out her phone.

"What're you doing?" He asked her as she stood up.

"Well," Korra laughed, holding her hand out and pulling him to his feet, "I'm going to show Kuvira that you're walking. Think you can take a few steps without me?"

 _Kuvira? She's keeping up with this too? She cares?_ He knew at this point he'd walk a mile if Korra wanted him to, so he nodded.

"After all the laps we've already done? Definitely."

It didn't take her long to record her video, and once it was done she sent a copy to both Kya and Kuvira.

"They're going to love it." Korra grinned at him, "Kya especially."

"Yeah, I'd say ma will like it," He laughed, "Will you walk with me around the island? I want to get some more practice. It can't be as hot as it is in here."

"Sure," Korra agreed, "We need to show everyone your new leg anyway. You want your crutches?"

Shady Shin looked over his shoulder at where he'd leaned his crutches against the wall and he shrugged.

"Nah. Just leave 'em. Let's go, boss."

"Lead the way."


	2. Chapter 2

**Family**

* * *

July (two months)

Kuvira grinned as the train slowed to a halt and she looked over her shoulder at Korra and raised her eyebrow.

"What?" Korra smirked, "Excited to see Lin, huh?"

"Not Lin," Kuvira chuckled.

"Kya?" Korra offered with a shrug.

"Nope," Kuvira's grin got wider as the train doors slid open and people began coming out.

Korra rolled her eyes, Kuvira knew she did, and it took a few minutes for her to find Lin. Shady Shin was getting off the train behind Lin and Kya, and when Kuvira saw him she started jogging in his direction.

"Kuvira!" His face lit up when he saw her, his arms already held open by the time she reached him.

She threw her arms around him and laughed, lifting him off his feet and spinning him in a circle.

"I've missed you, asshole," Kuvira chuckled as she finally put him back down.

"I've missed you too, boss," He replied, patting her back.

"Aww, you two _do_ care about each other," Korra snorted from behind them.

Kuvira let him go and shot Korra half of a glare, only to find her laughing a moment later.

"I'm glad you three could make it," Kuvira said, rolling her eyes and looking back to Shady Shin, Lin, and Kya.

"As if we're going to miss _your_ wedding," Shady Shin grinned, "That might actually make the train ride worth it."

"Oh shut up," Kuvira huffed, "Don't get Korra started. I'm just glad they brought the airship."

"An airship would have been nice," Kya chuckled, "So when's the wedding?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Opal is running around like she's crazy trying to get everything together."

"Yeah," Korra started laughing harder, throwing her arm around Kuvira, "Opal's not even letting us near the house all day tomorrow. We're supposed to go find somewhere to spar-."

"To stay out of her hair," Kuvira finished with a grin.

"You two are something else," Shady Shin told them before clapping his hands together, "But! I've never been to Zaofu before. Which one of you is gonna give me the grand tour?"

"Why don't we both go?" Kuvira offered, looking at Korra with a shrug, "Gives us a way to kill time."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

Korra grinned and dove at Kuvira, tackling her to the ground and rolling on top of her trying to pin her.

"Admit it, I got you!"

"No fucking chance," Kuvira growled, elbowing Korra roughly before flipping their position.

They had begun sparring before lunch time, and were now well into the afternoon. They had been waiting for the twins to come and get them in order to get ready for Kuvira's wedding, but they hadn't seen either of them in hours.

Korra managed to push Kuvira off, sending her rolling away through the grass, and Korra grinned. Kuvira's response was to immediately pick herself up and dive at Korra again, only to stop abruptly when they both heard Korra's phone ring.

They looked at each other in surprise, and Korra picked herself up off the ground and went over to where she'd left her phone. She raised her eyebrow when she saw it was Opal calling, and she shrugged at Kuvira before she put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

'Avatar Korra!" Opal's voice had a scolding tone as she snapped at her, "Where in the ever-loving _fuck_ are you and Kuvira?"

"Uh…down in the field, sparring?"

"KUVIRA IS GETTING MARRIED IN TEN MINUTES AND THE TWO OF YOU ARE STILL SPARRING?!" Korra had to hold the phone away from her ear at the volume of Opal's voice, and she blinked rapidly. _Uh oh._

"Oh _shit_!"

Opal was still yelling, something about how they both needed to get their asses to Kuvira's home to get ready, but Korra didn't hear her. She was too busy staring at Kuvira, her mouth hanging open, her eyes no doubt wide. Kuvira realized immediately, her face paling, and the next thing Korra knew they were both sprinting toward Kuvira's house. Opal was long forgotten, due to Korra having dropped her phone immediately when she began running.

"Run faster!" Kuvira called over her shoulder, "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck, _FUCK!_ "

It took them five minutes to get there, thanks to some expert airbending on Korra's part. Opal was waiting outside with her arms crossed, her foot tapping impatiently as she glared at them. Korra barely ducked in time when Opal swung at her as she slid through the door behind Kuvira.

"You are both _filthy_!" Opal snapped, motioning at the pair of them wildly, "You have five min—four! FOUR MINUTES!"

"Fuck," Kuvira muttered, skidding into the bathroom.

Korra jogged in the bathroom after her, already pulling her clothes off.

"Take your clothes off," Korra instructed, throwing her shirt in the floor, "Opal! Get our clothes ready!"

"You're serious." Kuvira stared at her a moment as she heard Opal start complaining behind them.

"Yes, I'm serious," Korra nodded, shucking her pants off, "We are about to take the fastest shower of your life. I'm the avatar. I've got this. Trust me."

"No time to argue!" Opal yelled at them.

Kuvira rolled her eyes but immediately began stripping,

"This better not take longer than a fucking minute."

"It won't," Korra promised, stepping into the bath tub, "I know what I'm doing."

"Oh my god," Kuvira muttered under her breath.

* * *

"Oh my god," Asami took a deep breath as Opal sat beside her, rubbing her temple, "They were _where_?!"

"Sparring," Opal rolled her eyes, "They should be here soon. They were starting to get dressed when I left them."

"Oh my god," Asami repeated, looking around at the crowd sitting around them, "I'm going to kill them."

"They took a power shower," Opal snorted quietly, drawing Shady Shin's attention, "Spirits know there's no telling what they're going to look like when they show up."

"Where are they?" Su sighed, craning her neck to look at Opal.

"They're coming," Opal replied, "They were…well it's Korra and Kuvira you can imagine what they're doing."

"Oh my god," Su murmured, putting her forehead in her hands, "I don't know what I expected."

Asami was glad, at least, that Bataar Jr. seemed to be entertained. He was standing in front of everyone with the truth-seer Aiwei, his arms crossed, a grin spread across his face. Every time he looked toward Asami and Opal he had to cover his mouth, his shoulders shaking with his silent laughter.

"I'm glad _he's_ enjoying this," Opal huffed, crossing her legs and folding her hands in her lap, "I tried to smack Korra upside the head, but she moves too fast."

Asami crossed her arms and looked around with one eyebrow raised while Opal huffed again beside her. Eventually Kuvira and Korra came jogging into sight, both out of breath. Bataar chuckled to himself, and when Asami saw them she sighed.

Both of them seemed to have forgotten their shoes, and they stood there barefoot looking from each other to the gathered crowed with nervous expressions. Kuvira had a smudge of dirt on her cheek, but other than that, she looked fairly well put together. The same couldn't be said for Korra, who had buttoned her shirt crookedly with her hair sticking out in all directions. Asami caught her eye after a moment, and she shot her a warning glare. Korra blinked, her eyes moving quickly to Kuvira, and Asami arched one eyebrow when Kuvira looked at her. Korra muttered something to Kuvira out of the corner of her mouth and Kuvira nodded. When she did, Korra brushed her hair back with her fingers before offering Kuvira her arm. Kuvira linked their arms together and smirked as the pair of them walked arm-in-arm down the aisle.

"Oh my god," Opal sighed, as Shady Shin snickered quietly behind them.

Korra walked Kuvira to where Bataar was waiting then stepped off to one side, folding her arms behind her back. She looked at Asami and bit her lip, only to shake her head rapidly when Asami motioned for her to come sit down.

Bataar was laughing quietly, and he licked the pad of his thumb before wiping the dirt off Kuvira's cheek.

"I love you," Bataar chuckled.

"I love you too," Kuvira grinned.

Aiwei raised his eyebrows and looked between them before casting a glance from Korra to Su.

"Is everyone present?" Aiwei asked, lacing his fingers together, "May we begin?"

"Please," Su told him before shaking her head.

"Very well then."

* * *

By the time the wedding reception rolled around, Kuvira was having a blast. Korra had been drinking, though Kuvira didn't know how much. This had left Asami and Opal both sitting at the table with her looking like put-upon babysitters.

Eventually Korra had coerced Asami into dancing with her, and the pair of them seemed to be enjoying themselves. Korra managed to see Kuvira over Asami's shoulder and she waved, beckoning her over, and Kuvira was about to head over there when she felt a hand on her arm. She was spun around and within a moment she found herself face to face with Aiwei.

"Kuvira," He smiled at her, "May I have a moment?"

Kuvira had to concentrate to keep herself from rolling her eyes, and she nodded. She'd never particularly cared for the truth-seer, though he was one of Su's closest advisors. She let him lead her a few steps away, and when he stopped he leaned close so that he could keep his voice low.

"Su has…requested…that I find out why you and the avatar were late to your own wedding, Kuvira." Aiwei told her.

Part of her felt like he was lying. She hadn't seen him near Su all evening. She didn't buy it, but she wasn't going to lie to him. _We weren't doing anything wrong. Everyone knew where we were. Does he think we were doing something?_

"We were sparring," Kuvira shrugged, "Wing and Wei were _supposed_ to come get us in time for us to get ready, and that didn't happen. Opal was kind enough to call, and it could have been worse. No big deal. Tell Su not to worry about it."

 _Not that Su cares. She would have asked me herself. She wouldn't have sent you._

"Of course," Aiwei nodded before glancing back toward where people were dancing, "Were you going to join the avatar?"

"Dancing?" Kuvira raised her eyebrow, "I mean I don't see why not. It'd definitely be fun."

 _More fun than this conversation._

"The avatar and her…friend…seem close." Aiwei observed, looking over to where Korra and Asami were dancing together.

"I would hope so, they're married."

"Ah." Aiwei's eyes lingered on them longer than they should have, and it didn't sit right with her.

"They probably won't appreciate the staring, Aiwei." Kuvira was having a hard time now to avoid losing her temper with him.

Aiwei's eyes flitted to her and he watched her for a moment after narrowing his eyes. She scowled and looked over his shoulder to see Shady Shin at a table not far from them, staring at her with a worried frown. _Of course he noticed._

"Is there a problem, Kuvira?" Aiwei followed her gaze to look over his shoulder, raising one eyebrow when he saw Shady Shin watching them.

 _You. You're the problem. You're just waiting for me to lie about something. I know your game. You're looking for something to use against me._

"I don't see a problem," Kuvira shrugged, "I'm fine, and I'm enjoying-."

"Kuvira," Aiwei said firmly before jerking his head in Shady Shin's direction, "If there is something you would like to talk about…perhaps someone _bothering_ you…"

 _The only person bothering me is you. Why are you still talking? Wait. You're trying to say something about Shady Shin, aren't you?_

"Shady Shin's a friend, Aiwei. A good one." Kuvira finally snapped, glaring at him.

"You will forgive me," Aiwei bowed his head, "Part of his name _does_ consist of the word 'shady'…"

"Shin then." Kuvira growled, "He's my friend. _My_ guest, Aiwei."

"I was just going to suggest," Aiwei shrugged, his voice smooth, "That your _friend_ may be lying to you about who…or rather… _what_ he is."

"He's a triad boss," Kuvira fired back, defensive, "What of it? I was too for a while. He's a waterbender, and a damn good one. He's my friend, Aiwei. I will not tell you again. Whatever he's hiding? He's hiding it from _you_ , because he's been nothing but honest with me since we've become friends. If you have a problem, take it up with him because I won't tolerate it. If I trust him, you should too."

"Very well, Kuvira," Aiwei bowed his head slightly, "I'm sorry if I've caused you any irritation. If you'd like I will go-."

"Good." Kuvira cut him off, looking for an excuse to get away from him, "I've got to go anyway. There are people I need to talk t-."

"Kuvira!" Korra boomed, sauntering over with a grin on her face. _That'll do_. "I need to tell you something."

"Tell away," Kuvira smirked, her mood lightening as she watched Aiwei bow to the pair of them and leave.

"Listen, Kuvira," Korra told her, taking Kuvira's face in her hands, " _Listen_."

"I am."

"I love you." Korra was looking at her seriously, "You are…the best shithead…I have ever known. I am so glad you're happy. And I want you to know—how important—your eyebrows are to me."

"Thanks, Korra," Kuvira laughed, letting Korra hug her, "I love you too. Even when you're…nearly drunk."

"I am not," Korra objected, blinking slowly a few times, "I'm fine."

"Ok," Kuvira smirked, shaking her head, "Want to help me find Bataar? Then you can go back and dance with Asami again."

"Hell yeah!" Korra exclaimed, "Where the fuck is he? Bataar!"

"Which one?" She heard Lin ask, only to hear Kya snickering nearby.

"Ugh," Kuvira rolled her eyes, grabbing Korra by the arm, "Come on."

* * *

Asami sat back down at the table and pushed her hair out of her face, laughing when Korra sat down next to her and huffed.

"You know when I agreed to dance," Asami chuckled, looking at her, "I didn't expect groping to be a part of that deal."

Korra muttered something in return, taking Asami's hand and lacing their fingers together. Korra had a red mark forming on her cheek from where she'd fallen when the twins tripped her, so Asami leaned over and kissed the spot before smoothing Korra's hair back.

"Tired?"

"Exhausted," Korra nodded before leaning her head on Asami's shoulder, "How long do these things last?"

"We can leave at any time," Asami told her, "We just have to tell everyone goodnight."

"I'm not leaving until Kuvira leaves." Korra insisted firmly a moment later.

"Alright," Asami smiled, squeezing Korra's hand.

She couldn't blame Korra for wanting to stay. She knew it would be at least a few months before they saw Kuvira again, and knew Korra wanted to at least show Kuvira she was still there for her.

"I love you," Korra yawned.

"I love you too," Asami chuckled, kissing the top of Korra's head.

Most of the party had already dispersed, leaving only the Beifongs and a few stragglers behind. Asami's eyes wandered from where Wing and Wei were tormenting Huan to where Shady Shin was sitting. He was leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed, with a deep frown on his face. Asami raised her eyebrow, following his gaze to where Aiwei was talking to Su and Bataar Sr.. _Is Shady Shin ok?_

She'd almost made up her mind to go talk to him when she heard Kuvira's voice behind her.

"You know," Kuvira chuckled, "You two can leave at any time."

"Wanted to stay until you left," Korra grumbled.

"It's ok, Korra." Kuvira insisted, "You guys were here, that's what matters. Today has been the best. Even if we _were_ late."

"At least it wasn't _our_ fault," Korra huffed, shooting a glare at the twins who seemed to be leaving.

"Well, to make you feel better…" Kuvira grinned, looking at the pair of them, "If you two decide to have a second wedding in Republic City, not only will I be there, but I'll be _on time_."

"You better," Asami teased, "Though if we _do_ , I'll just put Opal in charge of finding the two of you beforehand. She won't forget."

"Spirits help us," Kuvira snorted.

"Yeah," Korra grunted, "I don't want Opal chasing me down. She nearly took my head off."

"Not hardly," Kuvira insisted, "Go to bed, Korra. I love you guys."

"We love you too," Asami laughed when Korra yawned, "Where's Bataar? We'll tell him goodnight."

"He was fighting Opal over a piece of cake when I came over here," Kuvira chuckled when Asami stood, "Let's go see if they're still going at it."

"Let's get a piece of cake for Shady Shin while we're at it," Korra told them, stretching when she let Asami pull her to her feet, "He looks really grumpy. That ought to cheer him up."

"Good idea," Kuvira agreed.

* * *

Kuvira leaned back in her chair and raised her eyebrows as she looked at Asami.

"I thought we got Korra to agree to go to bed." She smirked as Asami shook her head.

"I thought so too."

"Well," Bataar chuckled next to Kuvira, crossing his arms, "At least she's having a good time?"

"At least one of them is," Asami nodded, a faint smile crossing her lips.

Kuvira snorted, her gaze going back to where Korra was trying to feed Shady Shin a piece of cake. He was staring at Korra with his arms crossed, his mouth clamped shut, his shoulders shaking periodically as he tried to keep himself from laughing.

"I'm surprised she's not just wiped the cake on his face and forgot about it," Bataar remarked after a few more failed attempts.

"Well she told him she'd stop if he smiled," Asami shrugged.

"Maybe we should help him," Kuvira offered, "Korra can be relentless."

"Oh my god…just eat the cake," The three of them heard Korra sigh, only to see Shady Shin press his lips tighter together and shake his head, "Why do you hate me like this?"

Shady Shin let out a forced breath through his nose, and Kuvira knew it was getting harder and harder for him to keep from laughing. _At least he's in a better mood._

" _Please_?" Korra whined, waving the spoonful of cake in front of his face, "Just one bite."

Kya was sitting behind both of then laughing, and even Lin seemed entertained from where she was seated with her arms crossed. Shady Shin shook his head again, and Korra huffed at him.

"If you smile, I'll stop," Korra repeated for the third time in as many minutes, "Otherwise you're _gonna_ be eating a bite of this goddamned cake."

Shady Shin raised one eyebrow as if accepting the challenge, and Kuvira looked to her right to see Asami laughing and shaking her head.

"Starting a food fight with the avatar probably isn't a good idea," Kuvira called out, cupping her hand in front of her mouth to make her voice carry over to him.

Shady Shin flipped her off with one hand, once more pushing the offered cake away with the other.

"Son will you just eat some of it already?" Kya huffed, "We all want to go to bed, and you two are holding that up."

By then Korra had started eating the cake herself, making faces at Shady Shin while she did so.

"You want me to do it?" Kuvira asked Asami, raising her eyebrow.

"Oh no," Asami insisted with a chuckle, "Let me."

Kuvira watched Asami get up from her seat, only for Opal to storm over to where Korra was and take the half-eaten piece of cake away from her.

"Go to bed, Korra," Opal huffed, glaring at her before smacking her across the back of the head.

"Yes, Mama Beifong," Korra rolled her eyes, sliding out of her chair and slinking over to where Asami was.

Shady Shin smirked when Korra stepped away from him, and he stood a moment later before thanking Opal. Opal nodded at him, and Kuvira roared with laughter when Shady Shin cast a glance at Korra and took the cake from Opal long enough to take a bite. Kuvira laughed so hard she had to put her hands on the table to keep herself upright, and she could hear Kya cackling from nearby.

"I'm going to kick your ass," Korra warned, glaring at him.

"Thanks for the cake, boss," He chuckled before winking at her, "I'm going to bed."

Korra huffed, crossing her arms, and Kuvira wiped her eyes when she saw Asami smirking.

"Oh spirits that was great," Kuvira wheezed, hearing Bataar laugh next to her.

"I hate him." Korra muttered.

"You do not," Asami giggled, kissing Korra's cheek, "Let's go to bed."

" _Fine_ ," Korra sighed before coming over to hug Kuvira and Bataar, "I love you guys."

" _And_ you love Shady Shin," Kuvira laughed, "But we love you too. Sleep good. We'll see you later?"

"You'll see _me_ later," Korra grumbled, "You won't see Shady Shin again I'm gonna-."

" _Korr_ a!" Asami laughed, taking her by the arm, "You tried to force feed him cake. Let it go. Goodnight guys."

"Night, sparky," Kuvira grinned, waving at her, "You better go before Opal comes after Korra again."

"Ugh," Asami shook her head, "Love you guys!"

Once Asami and Korra had gone, it didn't take long for Kya, Lin, and Shady Shin to follow. Kuvira stood up as they left, holding her hand out to Bataar.

"I love you," He told her with a smile, "But your family is pretty fucking weird."

"I know," Kuvira laughed, "I love it."

She did, deep down. They made her happy. They were a little mismatched, a little strange, but they fit together. And after so many years of feeling isolated, Kuvira felt like she really belonged somewhere. With them. They were weird, that had been the truth. But they were hers. Her family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Keepsakes**

* * *

August (three months)

Shady Shin raised his eyebrow when he heard Jinora come into the library, but he didn't look up from his book. He'd recognized her heartbeat, and he'd already memorized how hers sounded, as well as those of her siblings and parents. Jinora had become his reading companion in the weeks prior. Out of all of Tenzin's children, Shady Shin liked Jinora the best. She didn't ask too many questions. She had just been content to share the space in the library with him, each of them reading on their own without speaking. He liked the silence. Especially today.

Today, he was reading Kya's notes on bloodbending, hidden between the pages of the waterbending texts he'd been scouring over. He was trying to get approved to be registered as a healer in the city, and he was planning on using his bloodbending to his advantage. He wasn't ready yet though, and that's why he was reading. He need to know _more_.

Jinora sat down at the opposite end of the table where he was, finding her place once she'd removed her bookmark. He knew the routine. She would read for an hour, then she would go to lead meditation. He had started going with her, when she'd had Tenzin talk him into learning. Meditation had been difficult, especially having to clear his head, but he found that doing so regularly was starting to help him mentally. He was able to focus more, which meant he could spend more time concentrating on his bending.

They read for thirty minutes before he felt his phone vibrating against his chest, and he pulled it out of his shirt pocket and frowned.

"Hello?"

"Oh spirits," Korra sighed, "Fucking finally. Where are you?"

"The…library?" He replied, arching one eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

"Don't move. I'll be there in a few minutes."

He put his phone down when she hung up, looking over to see Jinora watching him with one eyebrow raised. When he shrugged she went back to reading, and he put his phone back in his pocket. It took a few minutes, but eventually he heard jogging in the hallway moments before Korra all but yanked the door open. She drug Kya in behind her, making her sit down in the seat next to Shady Shin.

"I need your opinion." Korra panted as he snapped his book shut.

 _What_? He blinked at her slowly a few times, and she arched one eyebrow as she clearly waited for a response.

"Uh…sure, boss," He shrugged after glancing at Kya, "What's up?"

"Ok." Korra took a deep breath, motioning with her hands for emphasis, "Me and Asami are married."

"No way." He grinned, jerking slightly when both Kya and Korra swatted him, "And?"

Well we decided to have a ceremony here in the city now that everything's calmed down," Korra huffed at him, "Which is fine. Means everyone gets to be there and 'see' us get married. As if the first one didn't coun—anyway! Listen. I want to do something…I don't know… _special_. Something that takes time."

"Ok," Shady Shin nodded.

"I want to make Asami a betrothal necklace," Korra sighed, "I think. Except we're already married. Which kind of defeats the purpose of the _betrothal_ bit-."

"Boss."

Korra stopped, looking at him with interest.

"Why are you asking me what I think? How desperate _are_ you? Who else have you asked?"

"Just Opal and Kuvira," Korra shrugged, "I mean Mako would be weird about it…and Bolin would try to come up with some grand gesture to go along—look the point is, what do you think?"

"Sounds fine to me, boss. You ain't gonna ask me to help make the thing, are you?"

"No," Korra shook her head rapidly, "I can handle that. I need to call my dad. Thanks man!"

Korra practically sprinted out of the library when she finished speaking, leaving Shady Shin to look at Kya and blink.

"Why'd she bring you?"

"No idea, actually," Kya laughed, standing up.

"Why does she want my input?"

"She likes you," Jinora chimed in, looking up from her book, "As a person. She trusts you."

"Huh. I guess you're right."

* * *

"You've done so much with Future Industries, Asami," Hiroshi beamed at her, holding her hand over the top of the table, "Expanding into Zaofu…I would have never imagined."

Asami shook her head, squeezing his hand with a smile.

"Bataar has been a huge help, honestly. I might not have ever done it if he hadn't been so supportive."

Korra and Kuvira were an added incentive, both more than happy that the new office meant more visits to Zaofu, but Asami didn't mention that.

"You'd have found a way, regardless," Hiroshi insisted proudly, "It's something I've always seen in you. You're like your mother. Nothing could ever slow her down or keep her from accomplishing something she wanted, if she wanted it bad enough."

"I don't know," Asami chuckled, a teasing tone to her voice, "I _do_ have a pretty strict businessman for a father."

Hiroshi grinned, only to roll his eyes a moment later.

"Please, Asami. We both know you're much tougher to do business with than I am. But whichever one of us you take after…well, what you've done with the company, the direction you're taking it…that's all you. I'm so proud of you. Your mother would be too."

Asami nodded quietly, closing her eyes with a sigh when Hiroshi rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

"Thank you, dad. How are you doing? I'm still not used to…well…this." She stopped, motioning to the room around them and to one of the guards stationed near the door, "I miss you. I love you, dad."

"I love you too, sweetheart," Hiroshi smiled, "I'm doing ok. These visits from you and Korra are more than enough to get me through the days here. My biggest challenge right now is boredom. And lack of bacon."

He winked at her and Asami laughed, rolling her eyes.

"No bacon, dad."

Hiroshi chuckled quietly, but it died down as soon as it had started, and he looked at her for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

"Asami, you know…" Hiroshi began, raising his eyebrow, "This isn't one of the days you normally come see me. So…I can only assume you have something you need to tell me. I certainly hope it's not _bad_ news…we've had enough of that to last us a while, don't you think?"

Asami nodded her agreement before shrugging.

"It's nothing major, dad." She insisted, "I just wanted to…talk."

"Well there must be _something_ ," Hiroshi repeated before grinning and adding in a teasing tone, "Who's pregnant?"

" _Dad_."

Hiroshi started laughing and Asami sighed. _I might as well tell him why I'm here, it's not like it'll hurt._

"Korra and I," Asami explained, "Are wanting to get married. Again. Sort of. We're going to have some kind of ceremony here in the city, so that all our friends and fami—well."

She sighed, but Hiroshi squeezed her hand and smiled. She didn't want him to miss it again, but unless Lin was feeling particularly nice for a day, there was nothing she could do. She didn't think Lin would tolerate it twice.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Asami. You have so many people in your life now, they should all be around to celebrate it with you. Though…isn't Korra supposed to be the one here asking for my blessing to marry my daughter?...Again."

"Good luck finding her," Asami laughed, shaking her head, "She ran out the door this morning saying something about needing to talk to Opal. So I decided to take the opportunity to come ask you for some advice."

"Alright," Hiroshi nodded.

"Well, everything was so rushed before…which means Korra doesn't have a ring. And I've been looking, but I'm having trouble…I don't know, making up my mind?"

"So you're just looking for the perfect thing to show Korra how much you love her?"

He was grinning, and Asami nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah. I just can't find anything…suitable."

"Well," Hiroshi scratched his chin and shrugged, "What about your mother's ring? She certainly loved it when _I_ gave it to her."

Asami looked at him with wide eyes, shaking her head.

"Dad, I couldn't," She said quickly, "I mean-."

"Of course you can, Asami," Hiroshi promised, squeezing her hand once more, "Your mother loved you. She had planned on giving it to you when you were older, before…"

He trailed off for a few moments and cleared his throat before sighing.

"She would _adore_ Korra," Hiroshi finished a minute later, "For the same reason I do. The way Korra makes you smile? Well, if anyone is worthy of wearing your mother's ring, it's Korra. It's an option, Asami."

* * *

"—all I'm saying is that this is culturally important to me, Kuvira," Korra growled waving her free arm around wildly as she held her cellphone to her ear. She could hear Opal snickering somewhere further down the beach, but she ignored it, "And I'm _allowed_ to have someone there-."

"So you're making me drag my ass to Omashu?" Kuvira snorted, "You're fucking crazy."

"Kuvira," Korra sighed, " _Please_? It's faster for us to meet in Omashu than it is for my dad to come to Republic City from the South, or for me to go down there. Hell dad even approved of this fucking idea- please? If it's not you, I'm taking Shady Shin-."

"I'm not even sure why you need me, honestly-."

" _Please_?" Korra pouted though she knew Kuvira couldn't see it.

"Fine." Kuvira huffed, "I'll meet you guys there. Though, if Opal and Asami are coming, what're you going to do to distract them?"

"Opal has a plan," Korra muttered quickly, looking up in time to see Asami walking toward her, "Look I gotta go. I'll text you tomorrow and give you the rest of the details."

She managed to hear Kuvira grunt out an 'ugh' before she hung up, and when Asami came closer she grinned.

"Hey, sunshine."

"Are you two done arguing?" Asami smirked, raising her eyebrow, "You've been out here for thirty minutes."

"We weren't arguing," Korra objected with a huff.

"You were," Asami laughed, taking Korra by the hand, "We could hear you yelling about Water Tribe culture from the meditation pavilion before Opal came down here."

Korra groaned and slapped her free hand against her forehead. _How much else did she hear?_

"We're fine," Korra grumbled, letting Asami lead her to the dock to board the ferry, "I'm ready to go home though."

"Me too," Asami smiled, squeezing her hand, "And I'm glad you two weren't fighting _too_ bad."

Korra rolled her eyes, grinning when Asami shook her head and pressed a kiss to Korra's cheek.

"You two need to tone it down," Asami chuckled quietly, "I know you miss each other but that's the fourth phone argument you've had in two days."

"We both have a lot we're angry about," Korra shrugged, keeping her voice playful, "So until we go to Zaofu again, expect a lot of phone calls to Kuvira."

Asami just laughed, and it made Korra feel good. She was happy. She was looking forward to carving a betrothal necklace for Asami. Any sense of anxiousness about the quality of the necklace itself was washed away by the feeling of Asami's hand in her own and the knowledge that Kuvira would be there while she carved it to support her. Korra would have preferred Tonraq's presence, but they'd both agreed that Kuvira was a suitable substitute. _More than I could ask for_.

They didn't say anything else until they'd climbed into Asami's car and begun the drive back to their apartment.

"I went to see dad today," Asami told her, as Korra brushed her thumb against Asami's.

"Did you? Today isn't one of your normal days."

"Yeah," Asami nodded, "I had some free time after lunch and figured it couldn't hurt. He was happy to see me."

"Good," Korra grinned, "I'm glad you got to see him. I was planning on going to visit him tomorrow."

"You better," Asami teased, "He's starting to miss you."

"I'll go first thing in the morning."

"Good. I know he'll enjoy it."

By the time they got home, Korra wasted little time heading into the bedroom and changing into her pajamas. She flopped onto the bed, sinking down into the mattress and turning onto her side when she heard Asami laughing.

"Tired?"

"Mmhmm," Korra nodded, holding her arms open.

Asami's laughter got quieter, and a few minutes later she'd crawled into bed with Korra and settled herself between Korra's arms. Korra folded her arms protectively around Asami and yawned again before pressing a kiss to Asami's forehead. Asami's eyes were bright, and she was chewing on her lip slightly while she fought a grin.

"What're you scheming up over there, sunshine?"

"Well, you know how we're getting married….again." Asami grinned before kissing the corner of Korra's mouth.

"I am aware, yes," Korra chuckled, "Why?"

"Well…" Asami looked like she was about to burst if she didn't tell Korra what was on her mind, and Korra raised her eyebrows, "You know how I've been looking for a ring?"

Korra nodded, and Asami scooted closer so that their noses were practically touching.

"I talked to dad," Asami said slowly, "And if you want…he said I can give you mom's wedding ring."

Korra took a deep breath, looking at Asami with wide eyes. _Really?_ She realized Asami was serious by the light in her eyes, and Korra found herself crying. Part of her couldn't believe it. Yasuko had always seemed like this untouchable memory to Korra. A person that had affected both Asami and Hiroshi deeply, someone they'd loved more than Korra could imagine. But she someone who Korra would never know, or begin to know from what she was told. Yasuko had always felt like a quietly guarded secret between Hiroshi and Asami, and she considered it an incredible honor to be gifted something that once belonged to her. It made her feel _connected_ , accepted, wholly loved and a part of their family by sharing this small piece of their past with them. She couldn't even begin to describe it, and when she managed to wipe her eyes, she noticed the slight worry in Asami's features.

"If you don't like it," Asami managed to say, "I can-."

"Not like it?" Korra cupped Asami's face in her hands and started laughing, kissing every inch of Asami's face before pressing their foreheads together. "Asami, I think it's _perfect._ I know you love me, but knowing you that you trust me with this—that Hiroshi _wants_ me to have it, that you want me to—Asami I couldn't even begin to ask for something more."

The worry dissolved from Asami's eyes and she brushed away some of Korra's tears with the pad of her thumb.

"Of course I want you to have it," She told Korra quietly, her smile bright and full of love.

Korra wound her arms around Asami once more, holding her close and laughing. It took a few minutes for her laughter to quieten, though it did nothing to contain her happiness. She loved Asami so much she felt like her heart was going to split open, and when Asami took her face in her hands and kissed her, she smiled into it. The kiss was slow, and she could feel the love Asami held for her in every piece of her soul.

"I love you so much, sunshine." Korra murmured when they broke apart, smiling when her eyes met Asami's.

"I love you too, Korra."

Korra leaned close enough to press another firm kiss to Asami's lips before she sighed contentedly and looked at her with a grin.

"Now what's on your mind?" Asami asked playfully, raising her eyebrow.

Korra let a pause settle between them, happy with just feeling Asami's breath against her skin. _I might as well ask. Especially now_.

"Asami?"

"Hmm?"

"How do you feel about necklaces?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Blood**

* * *

November (six months)

Shady Shin stuck his hands in his pockets and hummed as he walked up toward the meditation pavilion. Pema had sent him to go find Jinora, Ikki, and Opal, since dinner was almost ready. _They should be done meditating soon._

He was halfway up the hill to the pavilion when he heard Ikki scream. He quickened his pace as much as he could with the prosthetic attached to him and a moment later he saw a body being launched out of the meditation pavilion in his direction. He moved out of the way instinctively, watching as they landed a few feet in front of him and began groaning.

"Help!" He could hear Jinora shouting as he looked from the person on the ground to the meditation pavilion, "Aunt Kya! Help!"

"I'm coming!" Shady Shin yelled back, his eyes darting back to the body.

They wore an Equalist glove, and had a bloody knife held in their other hand. _They hurt one of the girls._ Fury nearly blinded Shady Shin for a few moments as he pulled the water from the skin at his side. He bent the water into a razor sharp shard of ice before he jerked the ice down quickly, imbedding it in their throat, certain it would kill them. He saved the rest of the water and moved as quickly as he could, horrified when he got in sight of the pavilion and saw Opal on the floor, rapidly losing blood.

His mind moved as fast as he could force it to as he saw the wound outlined by the blood that had seeped through Opal's shirt. _Do something. Focus_. He heard Jinora instructing Ikki to go get help, but he tuned out their voices as best he could. _Heartbeats. Where are they?_ He could hear Jinora's, it was beating rapidly against the back of his mind. _Opal. You don't have time. You have to do this. Where's Opal's?_

He found her pulse, weaker than it should be, and he could sense every shallow breath she was taking as he looked at the wound in her stomach. _Fuck. Help her. Calm down. Focus._

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, feeling her pulse faintly thrumming against his fingertips. _There you are._ He didn't have time to worry about the consequences. If he didn't help Opal now, she was going to die. _I've never done this before. Does it matter? I have to try._

The blood in her veins responded with just a twitch of his hands, and he could feel her heartbeat with every fiber of his being. It consumed him, deafeningly loud between his ears, drowining out his own pulse. He let her blood flow instead of bending it immediately. _That will hurt her. Wait. You're here to help, not hurt. A guest, not an invader._

He could see her veins spread out in his mind like a diagram, and he quickly found where the blood was leaving her body. _Just stop it. Let her pulse flow, just like ma said. Just stop the blood from leaving. Save her._

* * *

Korra had heard Ikki's scream, followed by Jinora's cries for help that had followed. She'd sprinted out of the training area toward the meditation pavilion, moving faster when she heard Shady Shin respond to Jinora's shouting. She tore up the side of the hill, skidding into view of the pavilion as she saw Shady Shin drop onto his knees next to Opal. _Oh no. No, no, no._ She could see Jinora standing worriedly behind him and she moved faster. _I don't have any water. Fuck._

She knew Shady Shin would have some, but as her first footstep landed on the floor of the pavilion, she stopped in her tracks. Shady Shin had his hands held above Opal's abdomen, and Korra saw how pale Opal had gotten. There was blood pooled next to her, but Korra couldn't see it long as the edges of her vision became blurry. Her attention was drawn by the sharp yet still fluid motions Shady Shin was making with his hands. He almost looked like he was waterbending, but Korra couldn't see any water in sight. His face was drawn in tight, his eyes closed as his hands moved fluidly. _Exactly like bending._ _What is he….is he…bloodbending?_

"Stop!" Korra roared at him, taking a step closer, "You're going to hurt Opal! What's happened to her? Let me call an ambulance-."

"Stop talking." Shady Shin said it calmly, yet she could hear that his teeth were grinding together.

"You can't just _do_ that! You're going to hurt h-."

"No. I'm not." He told her firmly. His eyes were closed tightly, and he was taking deep breaths, almost like he was meditating. "Stop—talking."

His hands were shaking, but they kept moving and Korra began to panic. Her mind was screaming at her to do something. _Don't let him bloodbend Opal. Get him out of the way and heal her. He's going to fuck something up. This can't be good. _She started forward, planning on ducking her shoulder low and slamming into him to distract him, but she was stopped when she felt Jinora wrap her arms around her waist.

"Stop," Jinora murmured, locking her arms around Korra's middle as tightly as she could and pulling them into a sitting position on the floor, "Trust him."

Korra could feel herself trembling as she blinked back her own tears. She couldn't lose Opal, but she couldn't help either. She didn't care what Shady Shin was doing. _Bloodbending is wrong. There's a reason Katara had it outlawed. Think of Amon and Tarrlok._

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again a moment later her eyes found Shady Shin's face. He had opened his eyes as well, and they were focused on his hands as he pulled one hand back and retrieved a stream of water from his hip. _He is neither. This is Shady Shin. He's not what they were. Trust him._

She heard voices behind them, and recognized them as Kya and Tenzin's. She saw that he'd pressed his hand to Opal's stomach, the water surround it beginning to glow. _He's healing her._

"Spirits, Jinora," Tenzin panted as he came closer, "Are you al—what happened to Opal?"

Jinora's voice was a low murmur next to Korra's ear as she explained to Tenzin what had happened. Korra was acutely aware that Kya hadn't moved, and wondered if she was staring at Shady Shin with the same fear Korra felt. _He's a bloodbender_. _Kya has to recognize that. I know Katara raised her to hate it too. To fear it._

After a minute, Shady Shin pulled the water away from Opal and took a deep breath, lowering both of his hands as his shoulders slumped.

"She's ok." He sounded tired, and there was sweat dripping off the end of his nose as he took another deep breath and looked at them, "She just needs to…lay down somewhere."

Jinora released Korra when he finally spoke, and Korra moved mechanically to scoop Opal up in her arms. She took slow breaths, trying to calm herself down and she stood, and she followed Tenzin to the women's dormitory to put Opal in her bed to rest. _She's going to be alright. I need to thank him._

As Korra approached the dormitory, Asami came outside with Bolin. _Oh no_. Their eyes went wide when they saw Opal in Korra's arms, no doubt noticing the blood that had saturated her shirt.

"Korra?" Asami sounded like she'd had the breath knocked out of her, and she took a step closer as Bolin's mouth fell open, "What happened?"

"Opal got stabbed," Korra grunted, "Shady Shin took care of it. She needs to lie down."

"Is she…is she gonna be ok?" Bolin finally found his voice, and Korra only nodded as she stepped past him.

"Should be. He healed her."

Asami and Bolin followed as Korra stepped into the dormitory, and once they reached Opal's room Asami took a moment to rearrange the pillows on the bed so that Opal could be reclined instead of laid flat on the mattress. Once she laid her down, Korra took a step back, which let Bolin sit on the edge of the bed and take Opal by the hand.

"He's a bloodbender," Korra said quietly, staring a hole into the wall, "She'd have died if he wasn't."

Asami and Bolin both looked at Korra in silence, and Korra closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. She didn't know how she was going to deal with the knowledge, but she knew she had to make a decision. _I hope I make the right one._

* * *

He felt like a coward all over again. Wasn't that what he was, after all? A coward.

Shady Shin had let himself slink off to the solitude of the library as soon as Korra carried Opal away from him. If slink was the proper word. _Scurry_. _That's what I did. Like a scared rat._

He hadn't spoken to Tenzin or Kya, he'd just ran. He needed the solitude, the quiet. The library was his safe place, at least mentally. He could rest there. He closed his eyes, leaning forward and letting his head drop roughly onto the table. He was still shaking, and he could feel sweat running down his neck. It had taken a lot out of him. But he hadn't hurt her. _I healed her. This was good. I did good._

If he'd done good, why did he feel so bad? _Opal could have died, you kept her from it._ But no matter what he told himself, he still felt like shit. He sighed when he recognized Kya's heartbeat steadily thrumming closer, and he opened his eyes to stare at the table in front of his face when she slid the library door open.

"I figured I'd find you in here," She chuckled quietly before coming over to sit next to him.

She didn't say anything else, but a moment later he felt cool water being pressed to the back of his neck and he closed his eyes again.

"I fucked up, ma."

"What makes you say that?"

"I panicked," He could still see Opal bleeding, the image playing on the backs of his eyelids, "I could have probably done without bloodbending. But I panicked. She was going to bleed out. I could feel it-."

"If you could feel it," Kya cooed, the water vibrating against his neck, "Then you made the right decision. Don't doubt that, Shin."

He sighed again, and Kya began humming as the water cooled him down.

"You need to rest," She told him after a few minutes, "That took a lot out of you. I need to find a way for you to practice more so it won't drain you."

He lifted his head off the table and nodded. When he sat up fully, Kya pulled him into an embrace. He leaned his head against her shoulder and took deep breaths, letting the way she rubbed his back soothe him.

"It's alright," She promised, "You did nothing wrong. You handled it perfectly."

He didn't want to believe her but he felt calm, and more persuaded when she repeated it again quieter the second time.

"I'm a mess, ma." He swallowed hard, feeling her tighten her embrace as she pressed a kiss into his hair.

"Listen to me." She told him firmly, 'You have come so far. And I am so proud of you. What you did was good. You helped Opal, and I know you're going to help countless others. What you just did for her, I couldn't do that when I first learned bloodbending. That took me years. You're something else, Shin. Don't forget that."

"Did you not see the way she was looking at me?" He muttered bitterly, "Korra…she was looking at me like I was some kind of…freak…she thought I was hurting Opal. She was going to stop me…"

"I know," Kya soothed, her hand rubbing in circles between his shoulder blades, "Don't worry about Korra…it'll be alright, I promise. She'll come around."

He had to believe her. He didn't have a choice. If he didn't listen, he was going to panic. He'd finally found a family, and letting Korra know he was a bloodbender threatened to have all that torn from him. He didn't know if he could handle that, not now.

It didn't take long for him to hear Korra in the hall outside the library. When he did he tensed, lifting his head off Kya's shoulder. Kya sighed, turning to look over her shoulder at the doorway when Korra knocked.

"Come in," Kya spoke up, shifting in her seat.

Korra slid the door open slowly, stepping inside through the thin gap before she slid it shut loudly behind her.

"We need…to talk." She was looking down, pointedly not looking at either of them.

 _Calmer than I expected._

"Yeah, boss." He nodded, pushing himself to his feet, "I guess we do."

"You're a bloodbender." _She wants to hear you say it._

"I am."

"How long?" He could see the muscles of her jaw moving when she finished the question, and he took a deep breath.

"Few months. Found out before we took down the Equalists."

"And you didn't tell me." It was an accusing tone reeking of the betrayal she felt, and he felt himself flinch.

"No, I-."

"I wouldn't let him." Kya finished for him, standing up and moving in front of him defensively. _What are you doing?_

"You _knew_?"

"Of course I knew," Kya nodded.

Korra's eyes widened and she looked up, her gaze meeting Shady Shin's before her eyes moved to Kya's.

"And you're not—you weren't _worried_? After everything Katara taught me-taught _you_? He's a bloodbender, Kya. Not only is it illegal, it's danger-."

"I am too." Kya said simply, crossing her arms, "A bloodbender."

He could see the surprise that flashed in Korra's eyes, and Korra immediately took a step back, her mouth hanging open.

" _What?_ Does Katara-."

"No." Kya huffed, "And I plan on keeping it that way. You know it would kill her."

Korra set her jaw, nodding once before steadying herself.

"How'd you learn?"

"Taught myself," Kya shrugged, "I wanted to use it for healing. And I have. For damn near forty years."

"Have you ever…used it for something else?"

"Twice." Kya sighed, "Both times in self-defense."

"What about him?" Korra jerked her head to Shady Shin.

"He's only used it for healing." Kya insisted.

"And I plan on keeping it that way," Shady Shin added.

"Have you been training him?"

"When I can."

"And it helps?"

"Well, most recently…I've saved you, with your neck. I saved him, with his leg. He saved Opal. So what do you think?"

He heard the dry tone to Kya's voice, but Korra seemed to ignore it. Korra crossed her arms, looking away from both of them before sighing.

"Well…I don't like it. But if it helps…What else can you do with it?"

"Can hear your heartbeat," He shrugged one shoulder, "Can hear your blood past that…moving. I can…I can feel it. Like how you and ma can sense the tides."

Korra's eyebrows raised quickly, but she didn't say anything.

"Huh." She finally muttered, "Ok."

 _That's it? She's not going to get mad?_

He watched her lift her hand and rub the back of her neck before she sighed. When she did, Kya stepped out of her path, and Korra came over to Shady Shin and hugged him.

"Thank you," She told him quietly, "For saving Opal. She's—well I'm just glad you got there in time. Kya wouldn't have."

He nodded, squeezing her gently. He was thankful everything was ok. They were ok. Korra had quickly become like a sister to him. He didn't want to lose that. He hadn't known she'd be so important to him when they'd first met, but their paths had crossed continually through the years and now here they were. He'd become quite attached to her. She was part of his family. He didn't know what the future held for them, but knowing she wasn't mad and that she accepted this, that made him look forward to whatever faced them.

"Of course, boss." He replied with a chuckle, "I…I guess I should thank you too."

She leaned back and looked at him, one eyebrow arching as she watched him.

"For returning my bending," He sighed, "When Amon took it. You found me, and even though you knew what I was, what I did for the triad, you still gave it back to me. I wouldn't be here if you hadn't."

"Oh." Was all that Korra said in reply, and she shrugged one shoulder, "I couldn't let you stay that way. I had felt it myself. I felt how unnatural and painful it was. I will say though, that you and Kya both know what happened to Yakone when Aang discovered he was a bloodbender. I know it fucks with people's heads…and if you two get that far gone-."

 _You'll take our bending._

"That's fair," Shady Shin told her, and saw Kya nodding, "But I don't plan on letting it get to me."

And so far it hadn't, either. He knew Kya had warned him about using it aggressively, how it would consume his mind and eat away at him the more that he used it. But he'd been careful. And while he felt drained, exhausted from helping Opal, there was nothing in his head that hadn't been there before. Whatever demons bloodbending had given Kya, he was sure he already had them. Bloodbending couldn't hurt. It had no power over him. He swore to himself that it never would. Korra deserved to be able to trust him. He wouldn't let her down.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sever**

* * *

One year, two months

" _After over a year of the four triads working in harmony, it seems as though the Agni Kai Triad is resurfacing under a new leader. Fires have been burning city-wide for three days now, and President Raiko has been unavailable for comment in regards to the damages. Chief Beifong-."_

Korra cut the television off and tossed the remote onto the coffee table before she took a deep breath and ran her fingers through her hair. _We have to do something_. _I need to find Shady Shin at the very least. This is his problem._

"Asami?"

Asami looked up from the work she had piled in her lap, and she raised one eyebrow.

"Where's Shady Shin?"

Asami shrugged, taking her pen out of her mouth and sighing.

"Your best bet-." Asami began.

"The library with Jinora."

Asami nodded and Korra sighed.

"Do you want to go?" Asami asked, folding her papers together.

"Yeah."

She watched Asami put her things away and find her shoes before reaching for her car keys. Korra frowned, but held the door to the apartment open for Asami to lead the way. Asami's jaw was set, and Korra knew something was bothering her. _Probably the fact that I'm about to get involved in another city-wide war. Fantastic._

"I'm going to call him," Korra muttered, pulling out her phone when Asami nodded silently.

It managed to ring twice before he answered.

"What?" He was snappy, and Korra knew he was more than aware of what was going on. _He wants to do something too_.

"Where do you want us to meet you?" Korra asked, pushing her hair out of her face as she climbed into the front seat of Asami's car.

"Come to the fucking island—." He sounded angrier than he had been in months. "It's Ping, Korra. It's fucking Ping. He's doing this."

He hung up on her a thought later, and she dropped her phone into her lap and sighed.

"What is it?"

"It's Ping," Korra huffed, crossing her arms as she noticed Asami glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, "I don't know what I expected."

Asami hummed in acknowledgement, and Korra felt the car accelerate as they rounded the corner. _This explains why Shady Shin sounded so pissed. Ping's his friend, and he's doing this? This won't end well._

A bad feeling settled in her gut, and she looked out the window. She could see smoke billowing above the city, the plumes colored auburn by the sunset. There were dark clouds churning over Air Temple Island that contrasted the setting sun sharply, and Korra watched them as they moved a slow path through the sky.

"What do you want me to do?" Asami asked as she parked her car at the docks, looking over to where Korra could see Shady Shin stepping off the ferry and onto the dock. _So much for the island._

"Well," Korra sighed, keeping her eyes trained on Shady Shin, "Call Mako. He's piloting one of the police airships tonight, isn't he? We might need a few cops. I don't know where Shady Shin's going to want to go-I want to _talk_ to Ping if we can…Give me an hour. If you haven't heard from me by then, come to the Triple Threats hideout. Bring backup."

Asami nodded along with everything she said, and Korra sighed again.

"Do you have your glove?"

"Yep. Been a while since I've had a reason to use it. Do you really think there'll be a fight?"

"It's Ping. Shady Shin loves him. So…no. I don't think there will be. If there is, well, we didn't start it. But I'd still like to be prepared."

When Aasmi nodded again, Korra leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"I love you."

"I love you too. Be careful."

"I will. If you're not in the airship-."

"I'll be driving around the city. I'll see if I can get ahold of Bolin and Opal. Just call me."

Korra gave her a faint smile before nodding and climbing out of the car. Shady Shin had already started his car and pulled over next to her, so she didn't have to go far. She saw Shady Shin give Asami a half-hearted wave before Korra slid into the passenger seat, and as soon as Korra shut the door behind her, he took off.

"Shin," Korra huffed, looking at the grip he had on the steering wheel, "It's-."

"No, it's not fucking ok." He snapped at her, "Getting stabbed in the fucking back by someone who was supposed to be your friend-your fucking _brother_ -that's not fucking ok."

" _Breathe_."

His hands tightened on the steering wheel, but he forced himself to take a deep breath through his nose when Korra told him to. She counted mentally, watching when he opened his mouth to exhale.

"Again."

Shady Shin exhaled slowly and put the car into park outside the Triple Threat's headquarters. He could see Ping's car parked next to the alley, and he unbuckled his seatbelt before looking at Korra.

"We're here to talk," She told him in a soothing voice, "Right? Just try to stay calm, I'll be with you the entire time. Ok?"

He nodded, feeling his blood throbbing through his fingers as he shut the car door behind him. Something didn't feel right. Korra had to be feeling it too, he felt her heartrate increase slightly, and noticed she was tensing. The air was thick with smoke, and he looked up and down the street before lifting his gaze to the building used by the Triple Threats.

The top floor was on fire. He grit his teeth and swallowed hard, closing his eyes. _Stay calm. It can be fixed. Enough water and that'll be put out._ He started around the front of the car, planning on making his way inside when the doors opened. Ping sauntered out with eight or nine other firebenders behind him and he was grinning.

"Shady Shin!" He waved one hand, jumping off the steps and approaching him. _Hit him. Knock his teeth out. No. Calm down._

"What are you doing?" Shady Shin asked him, trying to keep his voice level.

"What you won't," Ping shrugged, "You're like a tamed lemur. You don't _do_ anything. You tell us to just sit and wait. Do you know how long it's been since I robbed someone? Since I had money in my pocket that wasn't handed to me by _you_? You've gone soft. You've turned into a fucking airbender."

He sighed, glancing Korra before shaking his head. He wanted to handle this calmly. Peacefully, if he could. Even if it came to fighting, he didn't want to _hurt_ Ping. The other firebenders were fair game if they crossed him. He was different now, but he wasn't stupid. _Don't start a fight you're not willing to finish_.

"I want to talk through this, Ping."

"See?" Ping was nearly shouting at him, "Before you would have beat my ass and not thought twice! These airbenders have made you some kind of spiritual fucking guru. You're not Shady Shin. Not anymore. And if you wanted to talk, why the fuck did you bring _her_?"

He motioned at Korra, scowling at her, and Shady Shin sighed.

"I brought her because-."

"Because you chose her over us. She's fucked with your head. Her and Kuvira both did. They don't give a shit about you. They manipulate you, and couldn't care less if you fell over dead in the street right now." _That isn't true,_ Shady Shin thought to himself, _you're wrong. Korra and Kuvira love me._ "And now, Shady Shin? I've had enough."

"So what're you going to do?" He raised his eyebrow, counting the firebenders behind Ping. Ten on two was fair enough, he did have Korra after all.

"I'm going to take the firebenders, and we're going to bring back the Agni Kai Triad," Ping explained as Shady Shin began to scan the street around them, only half listening. He was too busy picking out the pulses of everyone around him.

His head snapped around when he heard the new heartbeats coming up behind him and Korra, but was relieved to see that it was a handful of Terras. _They're on our side, at least_.

"What the fuck is going on?" One of them grunted.

"We're getting rid of Shady Shin." Ping replied with a shrug.

 _Getting rid of me? He wants to kill_ _me? I need more water._

Before he could speak, Ping flung a fireball at his head. He managed to duck, streaming the water he had out of his waterskins. He didn't want to fight Ping, truly, but he _would_ defend himself. So when the next kick of flames came toward him, he was ready. He met the flames with the water, steam pouring around him as he took a step backward. The other firebenders moved to attack him, and he felt Korra's blood pumping through her veins as she surged forward with the Terras behind her, joining the fight.

"Korra!" He called out to her, launching a dagger of ice at one of the attacking firebenders, "I need some more water."

Korra ducked under a kick aimed at her head, slinging the assailant down the street with a gust of air before she managed to make her way to the fire hydrant on the corner. She busted it open and when the water erupted out of it, Shady Shin grinned. Korra took none of the water for herself, leaving Shady Shin to pull all of it to him, bending it around himself in a swirling orb.

He took a deep breath, able to see vague shapes moving through the water. There were a pair of firebenders trying to get past his shield of water, and he sighed before he pushed the water out and knocked them over. He pulled it all into a long stream once they were down, swirling it in a circle around him as he looked around trying to get a better view of where everyone was.

He heard tires squealing behind him and he took a step out of the way, looking up in time to see Asami's car speed past him. She spun the car around in the middle of the street, blocking them off from where Ping was. He could see more people jogging into the street and he cursed under his breath as Asami climbed out of the car.

"Need some help?" She called out, pulling her glove on.

"Sure, doll," He shouted back, "You any good at fighting firebenders?"

Thunder boomed out overhead and he could hear the rain coming down on the rooftops though he didn't hear Asami's response. _The storm must have came from Air Temple Island._ Korra was at Asami's side within a few moments, and when he felt the first wave of rain hit his skin he felt calmer than he had all evening. He was at home in the storm.

He slammed one of the Agni Kai's against the building with a bolt of water before trapping him in a cage of ice. _Subdue them_. _Do no harm_. He turned around to face his next opponent, only to see them stop short and spasm for a moment before dropping to the ground. He looked up to see Asami standing a couple yards behind them, her gloved hand extended and a pair of wires connecting her glove to the firebender on the ground. _That's new_.

"Good one, doll."

He started to say something else, but he stopped, freezing in place. A breeze of air had come past him, and with it had come the scent of blood. He blinked and inhaled the metallic scent, feeling the presence of those around him. _Blood_.

He poured his concentration into finding Korra and Asami, both his primary concern. But they were fine, their heartbeats were strong. They were unharmed, as far as he could tell. He felt past them, to the firebenders and the few Terras there with them, searching for the source of the blood. He could stop them, he knew. All he had to do was use his bloodbending, and he could stop every person around him in their tracks. But he didn't want to. He felt no pull of need in his spirit. No reason to harm them like that. Then he recognized it. Ping's pulse throbbing between his ears, fading and erratic. Ping had been hurt. Shady Shin took a deep breath, looking around until he saw Ping lying prone on the ground several yards away. _I have to get to him. Through all this fighting…How? There's got to be something._

He could sense the water raining down on them, as well as the water that was still spewing from the fire hydrant. The feeling of the water bled into the sound of the heartbeats. It was all one. He had more than enough resources to stop every single one of them. _That's not a problem. Just use it._

"Stop!" He almost didn't recognize his own voice as he bellowed out the command. It left his throat as a roar, burning its way out of his chest like he was breathing fire itself.

The rain stopped. The water in the fire hydrant froze in place. He could see the droplets of water suspended in the air around him, but he didn't think about it. Everyone stopped after a few moments, most of them staring in wonder at the rain that had been stopped in its tracks. He didn't care. He heard Korra say his name, but it didn't faze him. He walked forward, breathing as deeply as he could manage, until he was standing next to Ping.

Ping was taking shallow, ragged breaths, with a large slab of rock imbedded in his chest and stomach. Shady Shin knew immediately he was going to die. Even if he could stop the blood flow and remove the rock from Ping's torso, there would be no saving him from the sheer internal damage. _I can't help him_.

Ping was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't cough out the words. Almost as if he was pleading for help. Shady Shin only shook his head.

"There's nothing I can do."

He heard the sirens of the airship overhead, and he sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets. They wouldn't arrest him. They _couldn't_. He still had Raiko under his control. They would put the fires out and take Ping, leaving him alone in the street with Korra and Asami. His throat felt dry as he stared down at Ping, and he felt a faint pang of loss in his chest. _This is my brother. No. This was my brother._

There were no tears to shed. He felt loss, but no sadness. Hadn't he seen this coming? He felt Korra's presence moving closer, and he closed his eyes when he felt her hand come to rest on his shoulder. _My old family is dead. The triads go with it._

"Shin."

"I'm ok, boss." He murmured. It was true. All things considered, that was what he was. Ok. He'd found a way out. He had _wanted_ a way out. Ping hadn't wanted that, and now Ping was paying for it, in some sick sense. With his death, they were both done. Shady Shin had no more ties to the triads other than the title of boss. He had his way out, if he'd only take it. _Just give it up._

He opened his eyes, looking up at the firebenders. He narrowed his eyes, his eyebrows lowering into a glare.

"You useless fucks still want to split off and reform the Agni Kais?"

They all looked at him with wide eyes, and eventually they began shaking their heads and voicing 'no' repeatedly. The rain was still frozen in place. They were looking from him to the water. They were afraid of him. He could hear it raining around them, but no rain was coming down in the alley. He was still controlling it.

"Good. We're stronger as one unit. You'd lose."

A crack of lightning lit up the sky around them, and he let the rain go. It fell down heavily before the rain began its normal course, and he set his jaw, watching as the firebenders began to disperse as the police came down from the airship. _I can't quit. If I quit, I screw everyone over._ He was going to have a long night ahead of him.

Korra yawned and stretched out on the bed, opening her eyes tiredly and blinking as she looked around the room. She and Asami had stayed the night on Air Temple Island, and she squinted at the early morning sunlight that poured through the window. _I wonder if Shady Shin got any sleep last night_. _Only one way to find out_.

She looked over to the clock on the nightstand and fought back a groan. _Seven in the fucking morning. Am I really about to go looking for Shady Shin_? She closed her eyes and sighed, before the image of Ping lying dead in the street came to the forefront of her mind. _Of course I am. He needs someone to talk to_.

She slipped out of bed and stretched when she stood up, padding out of the room and down the hallway. She ran into Jinora and Ikki when she stepped outside, and Jinora was looking at her with a worried frown.

"He's at the meditation pavilion," Jinora said before Korra could ask.

Korra nodded once, muttering out a thank you before she headed up that way. Korra knew Jinora wanted someone to talk to Shady Shin, and that she'd likely tried herself with no satisfactory results. She scratched the back of her head as she climbed the hill, sighing when she saw Shady Shin sitting alone in the center of the pavilion. He'd taken his prosthetic leg off and it was lying next to him. His hands were folded together and he was taking deep and rhythmic breaths, his eyes closed. Korra stepped into the pavilion, lowering herself onto the floor next to him and folding her legs underneath her. _If he's going to meditate, I can too. I can at least wait here until he stops._

"Hi, boss."

"Hey," Korra replied quietly closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she folded her hands together. She didn't need to ask him if he was ok. He was, and he wasn't. All she could do was be there. "How long have you been out here?"

"Few hours."

 _All night, more like_. She opened one eye to glance at him, but he hadn't broken his posture. She had to admire him for being able to sit that long like that. Ping was right, in a way. Shady Shin had learned a lot from the airbenders. He was far more spiritual than she'd ever given him credit for, though she knew Jinora and Kya both had a lot to do with it. _He's changed. A lot._ She'd developed an immense respect for his bending abilities.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No, thank you."

There was a pause that fell between them, and she saw him open his eyes.

"I'm…I'm fine."

"Alright," She shrugged, "Whatever you say, Master Shin."

The faintest smile brightened his features, and he dropped his hands.

"Are you…" Korra sighed, she didn't want to ask if he was ok. She knew that answer, after all. "Do you need anything?"

He took a deep breath, turning his head and looking at her.

"No, just…thanks, boss. For checking on me."

"Jinora and Ikki have already been up here, haven't they?" Korra chuckled, "They have to check on Uncle Shin."

His smile got a little wider, and he nodded once.

"Yeah. They wanted to see if I wanted breakfast. Jinora…she was worried since I've been out here all night."

Korra nodded, scooting over and wrapping one arm around his shoulders to hug him.

"I'm worried too. We just want to know you're ok. You can't blame me. Water Tribe for a reason. Tribe mentality. You hurt, I hurt."

Tribe, family, it was all the same to Korra. It had begun to blur. Either way, Shady Shin was a part of it. Whatever group of misfits she'd found herself in, he was there with her. She was thankful for it.

"I know," He replied quietly, returning them embrace for a moment before pulling away, "I'll be alright. I just need to clear my head."

She understood the need to do so, and she nodded once more before pushing herself back to her feet.

"I'm going to go grab some breakfast then," She told him as he reached for his prosthetic.

He silently readjusted the leg of his shorts before sliding his stump into the socket. Once it was secure he sighed, looking down at his legs for a moment before he turned his head to look up at her.

"I guess breakfast can't hurt, can it?" He asked, managing to crack a grin at her.

She grinned back and shook her head, holding her hand out to him. He took it and she pulled him to his feet, patting his shoulder when he was steady.

"Meditating that long has to give you an appetite," She chuckled.

"I guess it does, boss," He laughed, putting one arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the pavilion, "Let's see what Pema's cooked up."

* * *

 **A/N: So I was planning more of these...but I'm not comfortable with the material in that sense. That being said, there will be one more. A time jump to 6 years post-How to Live With a Ghost. That will be the last one-shot, and should be the last of the 'necessary' for the sequel, which will follow soon. Get excited!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** **How to make babies:  
**

 **1- sex**

 **2- ill-advised deals with spirits in the Spirit World**

 **3- ? stork?**

* * *

Boom

Six years

Kuvira took her seat next to Su in the dining hall and took a deep breath. Varrick was there to discuss his new project, and Kuvira wasn't looking forward to the prospect of listening to him pitch his idea hoping one of them would jump on it. Aiwei was sitting on Su's left, and Kuvira was glad she didn't have to spend the entire meeting looking at him.

Bataar eventually filtered in with Korra and Asami, and Kuvira smiled when she saw Sokka perched on Asami's hip. He had his head leaning against Asami's shoulder while absentmindedly playing with her hair with one hand.

"Well," Aiwei cleared his throat and Kuvira scowled, "Where is Varrick?"

As if on cue, Varrick and Zhu Li backed into the room pushing a large contraption in on a cart. Shady Shin was with them, a scowl etched into his features as he held what appeared to be a sheet of platinum in his hands.

"Right on time," Su chuckled as they watched Varrick set up his machine.

Kuvira looked carefully at what he was doing, raising her eyebrow in interest. It looked like a piece of spirit vine from Republic City, and Kuvira glanced at Korra and Asami to see both of them frowning. _What the fuck is he doing?_

After a couple of minutes Varrick took the sheet of metal from Shady Shin and mounted it on the wall on the other side of the room. Shady Shin quickly moved out of the way, eventually sitting at the corner of the table next to Bataar.

"Alright!" Varrick exclaimed, clapping his hands together, "I wanted to show you all my newest project! Su and Aiwei are here, so I have Zaofu representatives which is good…Bataar Jr. and Asami for Future Industries, my biggest compet— _partner_. The gang's all here! Though I don't know why Kuvira and Korra are here, but anyway-."

"Get to the point, Varrick." Asami spoke up, "What is that thing?"

"This _thing_ , Asami, is what's going to put us all on the map for my ingenuity!" Varrick was grinning, and he motioned at the contraption behind him, "What I have here is going to be at the forefront of energy production in the future. _And_ it has multiple uses! Weapons, energy, I could have your toasters running with this thing! Your entire house! Your cars!"

"With spirit vines?" Korra arched one eyebrow before crossing her arms, "How?"

"I'm glad you asked! The technology is still a little…unstable…but I'm hoping that within a year or two of testing, I can get it working flawlessly."

"This thing is unstable?" Kuvira recognized the uncertainty in Bataar's voice and saw him cast a glance at Asami, "How unstable are we talking?"

"Well," Varrick paused for a moment and looked over his shoulder at the machine before stroking his mustache, "I'm at least…seventy-three percent certain this thing _won't_ explode when we cut it on."

Kuvira felt Su and Bataar both stiffen next to her, and she saw that Asami's eyes were firmly fixated on Varrick's face, bordering a glare.

"Shin." There was concern filling Asami's voice and Kuvira saw that she was speaking through gritted teeth.

Shady Shin jumped to his feet immediately having heard the same tone Kuvira had. He practically jogged around the table before taking Sokka from Asami. Sokka giggled when Shady Shin hoisted him onto his shoulders, and within a moment he had a fistful of Shady Shin's hair bunched up in his hand.

"Opal is in the meteorite garden with Latika," Su spoke up as Shady Shin moved behind them to leave, "I'm sure they won't mind the company." Kuvira watched him leave, and as soon as the door shut behind him, Su sighed. "If you blow up my dining hall…"

"Oh don't worry, Su!" Varrick grinned as he walked around the room passing out goggles with dark lenses, " _If_ it explodes…provided we survive…I'll take care of any damage caused!"

"I don't think this is a good idea," Kuvira interjected, watching as everyone put their goggles on.

"Nonsense!" Varrick shouted, "Is everyone ready? Zhu Li, do the thing!"

Kuvira reflexively moved to put her arms in front of both Bataar and Su, narrowing her eyes as Zhu Li flipped a switch and the spirit vine began to glow with a bright pink light. It vibrated aggressively for several moments before a beam shot out of the front of it, blasting a hole clean through the sheet of platinum and into the wall.

"Cut it off! Cut it off!" Varrick started yelling, and Zhu Li was quick to flip the switch again.

Kuvira ripped her goggles off and was on her feet within an instant, jogging over to look at the hole in the wall.

"What…the fuck…did you do?"

"It's like a laser!" Varrick replied excitedly, "It could uh…use some work…but once I get it going I can harness it for energy!"

Kuvira bent at the waist and looked at the hole the thing had fired into the wall, and she could see clear through to outside, including the hole that went on into the next building. _What the fuck?_

"But," Varrick was still talking, "Even with the potential I would need more…funding. Which is why you're all here! Imagine, Asami! Future Industries' Satomobiles running off the vines! Fueling the airships! The trains!"

Kuvira straightened up and looked at the table, only to see that Bataar and Asami were staring at each other. After a moment, the pair of them shook their heads at the same time.

"No." Asami replied firmly, "We're out. I want nothing to do with this… _thing_. You said yourself it was unstable-."

"And so many people use Future Industries technology that this instability would put too many people at risk of being hurt." Bataar finished.

"But if Future Industries contributes to fund the project, I can have them stabilized in two years!" Varrick slammed his hands down on the table in front of Asami and grinned, "What do you say to that? You're still making military weaponry, imagine the United Republic's army with weapons like _that_!"

"Absolutely not." Asami growled, "That's too much power for someone to have. It's far too destructive. Kuvira, how far does the hole go?"

"Next building," Kuvira grunted, "May go clear through. Can't tell."

"Holy shit," Korra muttered in disbelief.

Su looked alarmed, and her eyes darted from the hole in the wall from behind Kuvira to Varrick's face before she scowled. Kuvira knew Su was clearly as startled by the thing as the rest of them, though Kuvira wasn't pleased to see Aiwei's expression. Aiwei looked excited to say the least, and he was eyeing the machine with a bright gleam to his eyes. _Of course he_ _likes it._

"Well," Varrick clasped his hands together and looked at Su, "What about Zaofu? Would Zaofu be interested-."

"Absolutely not." Kuvira snapped, echoing Asami.

"Kuvira." Su's voice carried a warning tone, but Su was still watching Varrick. "Unfortunately, I'll have to agree with Asami and my son. The technology is…interesting. And though you say it has potential…well its current state is nothing that I, or Zaofu, is in need of. The answer is no, Varrick."

"Su," Aiewei bridged his hands together and looked at her, "Don't you think you're being a little hasty with this decision? He did list several very good uses for this technology. Zaofu _is_ a beacon of progressive thinking here in the Earth Kingdom, and with this technology we could further such endeavors in Zaofu itself. It could be-."

"I said no, Aiwei," Su huffed, "That's final. Varrick, you and Zhu Li may stay in Zaofu as long as you like, but I _insist_ that you refrain from working on this any further while you're here. Understood?"

Varrick didn't seem pleased with what Su had said but one look from Zhu Li had him agreeing despite the way his shoulders slumped.

"I can tweak it later. Maybe if I go to Omashu…" He let his voice trail off as he continued muttering to himself and gathering his things.

He started to push the cart out of the room but stopped short when the spirit vine began smoking and crackling to life.

"Oh _shit_! Hit the deck!"

Kuvira slid over the top of the dining room table before he finished shouting, grabbing Su and Bataar with one hand each and dragging them out of their chairs and into the floor. A loud boom followed that shook the room, and Kuvira stared at the wall for several seconds as she listened to Varrick coughing. _Holy fucking shit he nearly blew us up._

She shifted onto her knees, looking over the top of the table in time to see Korra and Asami both peek over the table as well, their eyes wide. _Everyone is ok_.

"What the _fuck_ happened? Su coughed, brushing herself off as she pushed herself to her feet.

"I uh…well," Varrick chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, "I guess I moved it too soon after using it. I told you, unstable."

"Get whatever the hell that thing is out of Zaofu," Su ordered, "That could have seriously hurt someone."

"Well I'm out of vines at the moment," Varrick sighed, "And this one is…shot. I would have to go back to Republic City and harvest some more. So never fear, Suyin. I'll work on my techniques and try again late-."

"Varrick," Su pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, "Just go. Thank you for showing us…this…but just go. Please."

Varrick nodded and pushed the cart out of the dining hall after promising to repair the damage and Zhu Li looked at Su and sighed before bowing and following Varrick out.

Su let out a sigh of her own and watched them go, and Kuvira dusted her arms off when Su turned to look at Aiwei. Aiwei scowled when Su glanced at him, and Kuvira didn't understand the look that passed between them before Aiwei stormed out of the dining hall, his robes billowing behind him.

"Well," Su sighed, looking at the damage done to the dining room, "That could have gone better. Kuvira, will you please get some guards in here to start clearing this mess? You know as well as I do if we leave it to Varrick he'll make Zhu Li do all the work."

"I'll have them start this afternoon," Kuvira nodded.

"Thank you. I need to talk to Korra and Asami for a few minutes. Will you give us some privacy?"

"Sure," Kuvira shrugged, "I'll go relieve Uncle Shin from his babysitting duties. You know Sokka's a handful."

She finished with a teasing tone, and it earned a chuckle from Su who only nodded.

"Someone will need to rescue him, that's for sure."

It took Kuvira nearly thirty minutes to go find guards to clean up Varrick's mess before she was able to make her way to the meteorite garden where Shady Shin was supposed to be with Sokka. As she drew closer she saw Aiwei standing at the edge of the field. His back was to her, but she saw his head turned toward where she could see Sokka playing in the grass. _What the fuck is he doing?_ Shady Shin was walking a few feet away from Sokka, consistently staying in between Sokka and Aiwei. _He's blocking Aiwei's line of sight._ She was glad she wasn't the only one who disliked Aiwei, but she thought that keeping him from seeing Sokka was a bit much. Kuvira frowned, watching as Shady Shin continued to block Sokka from view, but was pleased to hear Sokka's giggling.

He clearly thought it was a game, and he was waddling around some of the pedestals where Su kept her meteorites. Kuvira put her hands in her pockets, casting one last glance at Aiwei before she made her way over to Shady Shin.

"Hey, boss," Shady Shin's voice was barely a whisper as Kuvira came up behind him.

"What're you doing?"

"Watching Sokka play," the words were delivered with a shrug, and Kuvira narrowed her eyes.

"I see Aiwei, Shin."

"He ain't right." Shady Shin grunted in reply, never taking his eyes off Sokka as he continued to move, "He's…I don't know. His aura is weird."

"What do you mean?" Kuvira raised her eyebrows. She knew Kya talked about people's auras a lot, but she knew next to nothing about them.

Shady Shin sighed, motioning at Sokka.

"He's yellow. Pale, but yellow. He's a kid. He's happy. Most kids are." He stopped, looking at Kuvira, "You? You're usually red. You're grounded…firm…strong-minded. Red. Sometimes it's muddy, when you doubt yourself. It can change. Sometimes there's more than one color. Those are two examples. Aiwei? His aura is black. He ain't right."

"Black? Is there something you can do for that?"

"No it's not like that. At your wedding, it was still black. That was six fucking years ago, Kuvira. If he was suffering from an illness, he'd be dead. No this is something in his spirit."

"Did Kya see it too?" Kuvira asked, crossing her arms.

"Yeah. We talked about it the first time. She just figured he was sick. But if he was, after this long-."

Shady Shin stopped, his whole body tensing as he stared over Kuvira's shoulder. She started to ask him what was wrong, but she heard Aiwei's voice close to her ear before she could.

"Captain Kuvira. The child should not be playing with Suyin's meteorites."

"Relax, Aiwei," Kuvira rolled her eyes before she turned to face him, "He's two. He's too young to bend, and he can't even reach the meteorites. What's he going to do, get fingerprints on one of the stands?"

She heard Shady Shin shift behind her and within a moment he was at her side, staring at Aiwei with a glare.

"Ah, Master Shin. I suppose _you_ are the child's caretaker today? Ms. Sato certainly seems to trust you with him, at least to…remove him from the dining hall."

"He's my nephew, Aiwei," Shady Shin growled, "Of course they trust me with him."

"Well, then perhaps you might learn to watch him more carefully, Master Shin."

Kuvira didn't like Aiwei's tone. _He doesn't like Shady Shin either. Still._ It had almost sounded like a threat. She started to say something but was stopped by the faint tugging on her pants-leg.

"'Vira…" Sokka mumbled quietly, pulling on her pants again, "'Vira."

She looked down at him, smiling when he held his arms up. She scooped him up in her arms, resting him on her hip before pressing a kiss to the side of his head.

"There's my little Boomerang." She chuckled as he rubbed his eye and leaned against her.

"It seems he's attached to you as well, Captain," Aiwei grinned, though Kuvira didn't like the gleam in his eyes.

Kuvira looked at Sokka, who was resting his head on her shoulder and watching her tiredly with eyes as blue as Korra's. Attached was one way to put it. Sokka was practically her son. She loved him as much as she loved her own daughter Latika. While she was looking down at him, Shady Shin took a step forward, positioning himself between Aiwei and Sokka once again.

"Master Shin," Aiwei raised one eyebrow, "Is something the matter?"

"You don't fool me, truth-seer." Shady Shin replied, noticeably trying to keep his voice level, "You get one warning. This little boy is _my_ family. You look at him like that again, you think about touching him? I'll kill you."

Aiwei's eyebrow arched higher, and he looked at Shady Shin with vague amusement.

"Is that right?" Aiwei asked in a cool tone, "I suppose that is a threat."

"A promise, more like." Shady Shin growled.

"Well," Aiwei shrugged, his eyes flitting to Kuvira's face for only a moment over Shady Shin's shoulder, "Then I suppose I must expose you to Suyin. Threatening her most trusted advisor, hiding your skills, _bloodbender_."

 _How does he know that_? Kuvira's mind began racing immediately, and her eyes bored into Aiwei as she tried to figure out how he knew. Korra and Kuvira had told no one about Shady Shin's ability outside of Bataar and Opal. She knew Bataar and Opal had both agreed to tell no one unless Shady Shin gave them permission. _No one else knows. How does Aiwei?_ She knew the truth would get Shady Shin thrown in jail, with petitions for Korra to take his bending. _Aiwei can't know._

Shady Shin lifted one arm from his side, flicking the cap off of his waterskin and watching Aiwei with narrowed eyes.

"You have a problem, Aiwei?"

"Are you really suggesting I engage you in a fight outside of Suyin's home?" Aiwei laughed, "My, my, Master Shin, you really are quite the lunatic."

"You should leave, Aiwei." Kuvira grabbed Shady Shin by the arm before shooting Aiwei a warning glare, "Now."

"Of course, _Captain_." He rolled his eyes as he bowed to her, "I suppose I will see you at dinner this evening."

Kuvira gave him a half-nod, staring at his back as he turned and walked away from them. She hadn't taken her hand off of Shady Shin's arm, and once Aiwei was a safe distance away, Shady Shin took a deep breath.

"Thanks, boss."

"Don't pick a fight, Shin." Kuivra sighed, "Not with him. I hate him as much as you do, I'm sure. But please, don't."

Shady Shin nodded, turning around before stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Where's Opal?" Kuvira asked, hoping the topic change would help.

"She's with Latika, down at the power disc field. Twins were going to have a match."

"Want to go watch?" Kuvira offered, "I'm sure Korra will be down there soon if she knows about it."

He nodded again, and she led the way across the field. He stayed even with her and their pace was slow, and she could sense his uneasiness as they walked. Sokka was nearly asleep by then, and Kuvira had no fears of the power disc match waking him, knowing how heavily he slept.

"Aiwei won't do anything." Kuvira finally told Shady Shin, "Don't worry."

"Well, boss, I warned him. If he does, I'll kill him."

"You're not like that anymore, Shin."

"Oh it won't be just because I want to." Shady Shin growled, "If he fucks with Sokka, he's a dead man. He can keep his eyes to himself. Hands too."

Kuvira had to admit the staring _was_ uncomfortable, but there was nothing she could do about it. Not yet, anyway.

"Well, keep an eye on him," She finally sighed, "Just don't confront him again. Please."

"Sure, boss. I'm about tired of being in Zaofu. Is this how you feel about Republic City?"

"It's probably pretty close."

"I'll stay there if you promise to stay here." Shady Shin chuckled, "Fair?"

"Sounds like it to me," Kuvira nodded.

* * *

 **The sequel will be released sometime in the future. Be on the look out for it! "If Tomorrow Never Comes"**


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